Curious if anyone’s tried letting their kid brush *your* teeth as a game? It sounds chaotic, but sometimes flipping the roles for a minute made my son more open to letting me help him after.
Haha, I thought I was the only one who tried that! My daughter went wild with it (and I got toothpaste on my shirt), but she was way more willing to let me brush her teeth after. I think you’re right—it’s about giving them some control, even if it gets messy. Also, those floss picks in fun colors? Total game changer at our house.
Totally get what you mean about the mess—my youngest got toothpaste in my hair the first time we tried swapping roles. But honestly, it’s worth it if it means less fighting over brushing. Those colorful flossers are a win for us too, and they’re usually pretty cheap at the dollar store. It’s nice to hear I’m not the only one improvising... feels like you just have to pick your battles some days.
Toothpaste in your hair—been there, and it’s somehow always right before work for me. I tried letting my daughter “brush” my teeth just to get her interested, and yeah, it turned into a bubble party. But she laughs, and honestly, I’ll take messy giggles over tears any day. Those flossers are lifesavers for us too... and I swear half the battle is just making it fun enough that they forget to whine about it.
I’ll take messy giggles over tears any day. Those flossers are lifesavers for us too... and I swear half the battle is just making it fun enough that they forget to whine about it.
Honestly, I kinda wish my kid would get into the “fun” part. Tried all the games, songs, you name it—he’s still not buying it. Ended up getting one of those electric toothbrushes with lights and music. Total game changer. He’s more into pushing the buttons than actually brushing, but hey, at least the brush is in his mouth now. Sometimes tech just wins over “fun.”
Sometimes tech just wins over “fun.”
I totally get that. Tried the “make it a game” thing too, but my daughter just rolled her eyes (she’s five, how is she already so skeptical?). The only thing that’s stuck is letting her pick her own toothpaste—she goes wild for anything sparkly or blue. Not sure it’s the healthiest motivation, but if it gets the job done... why not?